September 1 [Tuesday]
I’ve accidentally lost six pounds during Covid summer! Entirely unintentional and unwanted. [Wife Klem] said to me the other day that I looked thin. I eventually weighed in and she’s right, I’m down to 150! I’ll be working diligently to get those pounds back. My action plan is larger breakfasts plus adding a few hardboiled eggs to my lunches throughout the week. Additional measures to follow as needed.
I’m not entirely befuddled but am surprised. My daily activities and meals have been remarkably consistent as it pertains to calorie intake and outflow because of Shelter In Place. An increase in outflow would seem unlikely, heck, I’m essentially homebound aside from the walks. The walks are an effective post-workday head-clearer, plus I’m still rocking the cardio machine four times weekly [30-minute sessions constructively justifying brainless amusement of streaming Netflix], but that matches the pre-Covid routine. Regardless the cause, I’ll work this out and right the ship before a wardrobe of thinner trousers is necessitated.
September 2 [Wednesday]
I had a semi-lucid dream last night. I must have been snoring because my throat was sore in the middle of the night. I was lying in bed thinking that I’d contracted Corona. While lying there semi-conscious I was planning out my first day of viral infection upon waking. I’d cancel my Ebay listings so I don’t have to handle merchandise or go to the post-office to mail sold items [odd first thought, but there it is]. I’d continue virtual working for my employer, pending the degree of illness, without time off for being sick because I’m already scheduled to back up the phones and emails of a colleague who will be out for the next two weeks. I might be isolated to the guest bedroom downstairs, or would that be futile? And heck, this’d spice up the blog posts! [Really, I thought of this blog. How ridiculous am I?] Anyway, I awoke a few hours later without affliction.
September 3 [Thursday]
The CDC announced that renters cannot be evicted for non-payment of rent. The next shoe to drop would be those landlords who cannot then afford to pay their mortgages. Is there a forthcoming mitigation for them? The cascade effect begins. [Note: there are a few hardship thresholds renters must meet to qualify. Also, rent is being said to still be due, but at some future time. The likeliness of being able to afford all the back rent is naively assumed.]
I understand the reasoning. If people are evicted they’ll likely end up moving in with family or friends enhancing the possible spread of Covid. Or they may become homeless. If the government feels strongly about protecting renters, then government should pay the bill. This action, however, puts the financial burden on landlords instead, many of whom are small business owners or individuals with income property. Who will pick up theirburden when this CDC plan proves financially fatal? Mortgage companies and lenders? Then what happens as they lay people off because they can’t afford to stay in business or maintain current staffing levels? Sure, I know, it’s easier to complain and say ‘This is not going to work’ than to lay out an alternate plan that will. This post is to document what’s going on and what I’m thinking. We’ll see what happens next.
September 5[Saturday]
This COVID summer with its lightened social obligations compared to pre-Covid has meant a bounty of reading time. I’ve spent many peaceful evenings sitting outside on the patio getting my reading done, while also contending with mosquitos. Along that vein, I’ve been enjoying the heck out of a book-selling website, www/bookbub.com. A work colleague turned me on to this back in April, it’s an aggregator that compiles lists of books that are on sale. I’ve bought 20+ Ebooks over these five months, read half of them, plus I’ve got another list of free Ebooks stacking up on another App. The free books are older tomes available in the public domain because the copyright infringements have termed out. Anyway, I’d like to talk more but I’m busy reading.
September 7 [Monday]
Kelly and I went to the Safehouse today for swimming! It’s been a very hot weekend exceeding 100F yesterday, today it’s dipped down into the 90Fs. We scheduled a playdate with [my brother and his two kids]. It’s been so long since I’ve seen them, since March, that my nephew’s voice has dropped an octave, audibly deeper. Good kids. Plus it was fun talking to my brother and dad while the kids swam. Social distancing was in effect and the subject was broached about how to restore parental hugging in the future while maintaining family members’ concept of reasonable compliance. No decisions reached but an open discussion is a good start.
September 8 [Tuesday]
We had a real National Geographic moment in the back yard this afternoon. The action took place in one of [Wife Klem]’s three above ground gardens. We watched a mocking bird pull a big green caterpillar off a tomato plant. It struggled with the big guy pulling it off the leaf, then battled with it on the ground before picking it up and dashing into the bushes for cover to finish the kill. That worm was really squirming.
September 9 [Wednesday]
I took our secondary car in for service today, the Toyota Highlander. This vehicle hasn’t gotten much driving during COVID, but its last oil change has been over a year ago, so it’s time.
Meanwhile, at least one thing remains impervious to the effects of Covid, the annual Southern California fire season. It’s in full throes with heavy ash falling from the fires in the nearby Azusa foothills, ten miles away. The sky is dark this morning and the sun shines red from behind the smoke clouds. Ash is visibly falling on the patio like an inchoate snowstorm. Regardless, I breakfast outdoors under the patio umbrella enjoying the cool temperature while enduring the scent of the fire season. I’ve lived in Southern California my whole life, 53 years. This is the heaviest ash I recall experiencing.
September 11 [Friday]
I’d been taking the company car for its weekly drives, but a dashboard light came on last week and has remained, ‘Charging Service Station Now.’ I took it for a fix and will need to leave it through the weekend while it is diagnosed and repaired. It’s possibly related to insufficient driving, we’ll see what the professionals have to say. Meanwhile, as a company car it is a representation of the company and I wanted to be fair to my employer, so I rinsed off the abundant ash that had collected from the local fires over the past few days, plus the build-up of dust from inactivity since March. I’m in no hurry to get the car back, as my work has been entirely virtual since the afternoon of March 16, and will enjoy having the driveway unencumbered.
[Update: The problem is the alternator, probably not related to sparse driving. The car will be gone for more than a week. I very conveniently do not need it so they can keep it as long as it takes.]
September 12 [Saturday]
A positive note about Covid, spoken in appropriately hushed tones, at least we didn’t have to endure the sloppy preamble of preseason football! The NFL season starts tomorrow.
September 13 [Sunday]
A big day at the Glendale Safehouse today, our 22ndWedding Anniversary, Kelly’s 16thbirthday and my mom’s birthday! We got together with my parents and brother’s family. Today was the first time we’d all been together since March! Really fun, felt like the Safehouse visits of old with the cousins having fun together. Plus I gorged on three ice cream desserts from the outdoor freezer. We stayed outside, masked and socially distanced.
September 15 [Tuesday]
I’ve been wearing a bandana like Billy the Kid since June as my Covid face covering. [Wife Klem] provided statistics that the bandana’s protection is deficient when compared to a mask, so I bought two masks from EBay and will commence their wearing effective tomorrow. The bandana remains [Wife Klem]-authorized for outdoors activities, not for entering stores.
-klem
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